Referring to FIG. 1, a multimedia computer system 100 is illustrated which represents a typical hardware setup for executing software that allows a user to perform tasks such as communicating with other computer users, accessing various computer resources, and viewing, creating, or otherwise manipulating electronic content—that is, any combination of text, images, movies, music or other sounds, animations, three-dimensional virtual worlds, and links to other possibly distributed objects. The system 100 includes various input/output (I/O) devices (mouse 102, keyboard 104, display or television screen 106, remote controller 108, printer 110) and a general purpose computer 112 having a central processor unit (CPU) 114, an I/O unit 116 and a memory 118 that stores data and various programs such as an operating system 120, and one or more application programs 122. The various I/O devices may be connected to the computer 112 via a wireless link (as shown by the dashed line for the remote controller 108) or a direct link.
The operating system 120 is a software program that manages the basic operations of a computer system. The operating system 120 determines how the computer main memory will be apportioned, how and in what order tasks assigned to it are handled, how it will manage the flow of information into and out of the main processor 114, how it will get material to a printer for printing, to the screen 106 for viewing, how it will receive information from the keyboard 104. In addition, the operating system 120 may manage the transfer of multimedia information to display devices. In short, the operating system 120 handles the computer's basic housekeeping. Examples of operating systems include MS-DOS, UNIX, PICK, MS-Windows, and Linux.
An application program 122 or application is a software program that carries out some useful task. Examples of applications include database managers, spreadsheets, communications packages, graphics programs, word processors, and browsers.
The computer system 100 also typically includes some sort of communications card or device 124 (for example, a telephone, computer network, or cable line). A content provider provides access to network content in a network 126 in addition to various services associated with the content. Examples of content providers include AT&T WorldNet, UUNet, and America Online.
Additionally, for multimedia computer systems, a user of the system 100 can watch television or view web pages and otherwise “surf” the Internet. In this regard, the computer 112 might include a special purpose computer, referred to as a set top device that is used in connection with television sets for viewing web pages on the Internet. In such a special purpose computer, a television tuner 128 is included for receiving broadcast and/or cable television signals 130. The monitor in such a multimedia system might correspond to a computer monitor, a television monitor, or any combination of both.
As shown in FIG. 2, a user of the computer system 100 can access electronic content or other resources either stored locally at the user's own client system 202 (for example, a personal or laptop computer) or remotely at one or more server systems 200. An example of a server system is a host computer that provides subscribers with online computer services such as, for example, e-mail, e-commerce, chat rooms, Internet access, electronic newspapers and magazines. Users of a host computer's online services typically communicate with one or more central server systems 200 through client software executing on their respective client systems 202. This may or may not include proxy server functionality. Thus, the user of the client station 202 may connect to the server 200 via a traditional modem 204, a special integrated service digital network (ISDN) modem 206, or via a TCP/IP protocol 208.
In practice, a server system 200 typically will not be a single monolithic entity but rather will be a network of interconnected server computers, possibly physically dispersed from each other, each dedicated to its own set of duties and/or to a particular geographical region. In such a case, the individual servers are interconnected by a network of communication links, in known fashion.
As mentioned above, one type of application program is a browser. A browser is an example of client software that enables users to access and view electronic content stored either locally or remotely, such as in a network environment (local area network (LAN), intranet, Internet). A browser typically is used for displaying documents described in Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML) and stored on servers connected to a network such as the Internet.
A user instructs a browser to access an HTML document, or web page, by specifying a network address—or Uniform Resource Locator (URL)—at which a desired document resides. In response, the browser contacts the corresponding server hosting the requested web page, retrieves the one or more files that make up the web page, and then displays the web page in a window on the user's screen 106.
FIG. 3 is a screen shot of a browser application 300 (Internet Explorer) displaying a typical HTML document, or web page 302. As shown therein, a single web page may be composed of several different files potentially of different data types 304 (for example, text, images, virtual worlds, sounds, or movies). In addition, a web page can include links 306, or pointers, to other resources (for example, web pages, individual files, or broadcast television stations) available on the network or through the television signal 130. Each link has an associated URL pointing to a location on the network. When a user clicks on, or otherwise selects a displayed link, the browser automatically will retrieve the web page or other resource corresponding to the link's associated URL and display it to, or execute it for, the user.
An advertisement 308 is displayed in the browser application 300 for VISA. In this case, the originator of content (presumably VISA) displays an image of a VISA card (which resembles the VISA logo) along with a graph of annual percentage rates associated with credit cards.
Content filtration systems may be used to manage and/or present content choices to the user. One example of such a system is a portal which convinces users to visit the portal web site and provides, at a minimum, search engines, free e-mail, instant messaging and chat, web hosting. Content filtration systems could provide a user with content from selected channels and sources by automatically delivering the content to the user's computer via the Internet at user-specified intervals (referred to as “push” delivery). Some content filtration systems prompt the user to actively rank content choices (both likes and dislikes).
A content filtration system may monitor, block and even report content usage to the user or another user that supervises the user. The content filtration system might block or deny content that the supervisory user or the user finds inappropriate, for example, vulgar language, pornography, or hate literature. The content filtration system might provide a protective or defensive gateway to certain users—for example, a firewall limits exposure of a computer or group of computers to an attack from outside. Firewalls are often used on a local area network (LAN) connected to the Internet. The firewall enforces a virtual boundary between two or more networks.